Dana White on Joshua Van, Arman Tsarukyan, Tom Aspinall + More

If you look at how the [first] fight ended with that freak injury, which sucks. It's a s***** way to win and a s***** way to lose,” White said. “Then he goes out and defends. I mean, he just keeps looking more and more confident… How about the takedown defense? Unbelievable! How about the escape from the mount? He was in the full mount in the first. I mean, the kid looks incredible… He looks better every time he fights, and you know that's what it takes to be a long-reigning champion. You have to look better every time you come out, especially against a guy like Pantoja.”

CRYPTO.COM UFC 331 REWIND: Results, Highlights and Interviews

Arman Tsarukyan

The co-main event saw Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan position himself for a shot at the undisputed lightweight title with a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy. The fight completed a return to championship contention for Tsarukyan as he made up for his late-notice withdrawal from his previous title opportunity at UFC 311 in January 2025.

“You know I've been vocal that I wasn't crazy about some of the stuff that he done,” said White. “But you know what? When you f*** up, then you come back and you do everything the right way, I mean, he couldn't have had a better comeback after the things that he had done that I wasn't thrilled about… And then to go in and perform the way that he performed tonight. At the end of that round, I was like, ‘Oh s***, man, he's in for a rough night, and then BOOM, the elbow. Incredible.”

Sean Sharaf’s upset victory over Gable Steveson

WATCH: Sean Sharaf Post-Fight Interview | Crypto.com UFC 331

White was asked about his reaction to Sean Sharaf’s stunning quickfire knockout of Gable Steveson, and said it just highlighted the unpredictable nature of the sport, where you can never take a result for granted before it’s actually happened.

Anything is possible when two guys get in there and start fighting,” he said. “You never know how it [plays out]. That's why people always ask me, ‘Oh, what do you think? Is this guy going to fight this guy after Saturday?’ Let's see what happens on Saturday. I don't know what the fight's going to look like… It's like when people say, ‘Oh, this card sucks!’ F****** card hasn't happened yet. What do you mean it sucks? And if it sucks, I'll be the first one to say it sucks.”

On his relationship with Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall announced that he had relinquished the undisputed UFC heavyweight title as he continues to recover from the double eye-poke that forced the stoppage of his last title defense against Ciryl Gane. White was asked about his relationship with the Englishman, with some wondering whether relations between the pair were frosty. But, from White’s standpoint, he has no issue with the now-former heavyweight champ.

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“No, that's not the case. It's further thing from the truth,” he said.“This guy knows he's injured. He's going through stuff with the doctor. He knows it's going to be a while before he comes back. This is totally normal… I think, because of what I might have said, or what he might have responded to what I said after the [fight] that people think that I don't like Tom. It's the furthest thing from the truth. 

“I have no reason to not like Tom. Tom's never done anything for me not to like him. I mean, if I don't like somebody, I'm pretty f****** honest about it. I mean, we're sitting here talking at the beginning of the press conference about Arman, you know, and Arman made mistakes, and he's made up for them and look at the position he's in right now after tonight… I promise you this: if I did not like Tom, I would say it. And when guys sign with Eddie Hearn, and this is no bulls***, I'm not taking shots. We f****** crack up laughing. It's hilarious. So no, I don't dislike Tom. And anybody else who wants to sign with Eddie Hearn as their f****** manager, fire away.”